In the late summer of 1963, Whitesburg Baptist Church decided a mission was needed to provide for the people in the area surrounding Weatherly Road in southeast Huntsville. Shortly thereafter, a 3 1/2-acre plot of land across from the newly-built Weatherly Heights Elementary School was purchased.
On October 6, 1963, with 17 families in attendance, the Whitesburg mission was founded in the Burt Carpenter home, which was located atop Weatherly Mountain. Those attending included: Billy Mark and Nell Adair; Roy, Eloise and Kay Adams; Burt and Janet Carpenter; Orval, Connie, Billy and Robert Cooper; Earl and Frances Davis; Wiley, Willene, Scott, Susan and Vicki Davis; Bill, Dorothy, Joan and Bobby Dunlap; W.T., Lucy, Tommy, Melinda and Nancy DeFreez; Arlin, Mary and Tim Graves; Bruce, Dora and Roger Gilbert; James and Frances Johnston; Robert and Myrtle Klinger; Betty McKay; Winnie Pipkin; Mary, Margaret and Carol Redd; Al and Carolyn West; and Robert and Joanne Williams.
During the mission’s first few weeks, the Rev. Joel Oswalt of Blountsville, Alabama was the guest speaker. The Rev. Joe Crawford soon became the mission’s first interim pastor.
In February of 1964, the mission called its first full-time pastor, the Rev. Harold Shirley, who accepted the call the following month.
At that time, the mission purchased a pastorium on Seaton Drive. God certainly had worked in a wonderful way in leading the Rev. Shirley to the mission, which was rapidly growing along with Huntsville. The city was experiencing a “boom” after NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) located here and much research and development was taking place in the “Rocket City.” The Rev. Shirley fit right in with the “boom.” His many ideas for the new mission were based on “research and development” and his numerous projects were highly innovative.
Probably the Rev. Shirley’s greatest contribution to the mission was forming the GUIDE program and the Receiving and Caring service for new members, which continues today. GUIDE (Guidance, Understanding, Insight, Discovery, and Evaluation) consists of four sessions that each church applicant attends in order to learn about the various functions of the church. After GUIDE is completed, new members participate in the Receiving and Caring service.
Under the Rev. Shirley, the mission projects quickly started skyrocketing. During the first month the Rev. Shirley was at Weatherly, the mission purchased a lot on the corner of Cannstatt and Dortmund Drive, which is the current location of Weatherly Heights Baptist Church. Construction on the new chapel began soon afterward.
Growth continued at the mission so that just two months later, in May, the house adjacent to the new church lot was purchased for educational purposes. Three years after the house on Cannstatt was bought, it was converted into a Mission House to be used by missionaries who were home on furlough. The house has since been sold and the money has been used to fund renovations and mission projects.
The chapel was completed in June of 1964 and the first church service in the new building was held June 7. The following Sunday, the mission was constituted the Weatherly Heights Baptist Church during a service at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. On June 21, the new facilities were officially dedicated.
In September of that year, the WHBC kindergarten was started with Frances Davis as the director.
The church continued to flourish under the Rev. Shirley’s guidance and by June of 1966, WHBC’s new sanctuary and educational building were ready to be occupied. The first service in the new addition was held on June 30.
Another contribution of the Rev. Shirley that still continues today at Weatherly is the Weathervane, which is the WHBC weekly newsletter. It was first published in April of 1964.
In May of 1969, Weatherly felt a deep loss when the Rev. Shirley resigned to accept the call as the pastor of the Ardmore Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Rev. Joe Crawford was once again called upon to serve as the interim pastor at Weatherly.
While WHBC’s loss was Ardmore’s gain, there was a sliver lining to the dark cloud left by the Rev. Shirley’s absence. God assuredly led the WHBC pulpit committee to another wonderful, yet entirely different, person to become the second pastor at Weatherly.
Dr. David Burhans accepted Weatherly’s call in September of 1969 and his first sermon as pastor on October 5, 1969 also happened to be the sixth anniversary service of the church.
The young Dr. Burhans was very much involved in personal contact with his congregation and he tended his “flock” much like a shepherd tends his sheep. In fact, many WHBC members considered their David to be much like the biblical David, who was chosen as a young shepherd boy to be the people’s leader. And both Davids were truly beloved by the people. Under Dr. Burhans, WHBC continued growing and another need for expansion arose. In October of 1973, the Lighthouse, a multi-purpose building, was constructed. This building currently serves as a gymnasium and fellowship hall.
During Dr. Burhans’ tenure at Weatherly, he incorporated a variety of courses and conferences such as the extension courses from Samford University.
In June of 1971, WHBC called its first associate minister, Michael Allen. Prior to that time, Weatherly had employed Lawrence and Lillian Corley and Robert Schrum as summer youth directors. Dot Davis, Stuart Henderson, Mark Clark and Karen Henderson would later serve in this capacity. Mr. Allen continued at Weatherly until July of 1974 when he resigned to accept the position of Associate Campus Minister at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
The following month, Weatherly again felt a sense of deep loss with the resignation of Dr. Burhans, who left to become Chaplain of the University of Richmond. The WHBC congregation was disappointed in losing its beloved pastor, but knew God already had someone in mind to take over where Dr. Burhans left off.
During the next few months, Dr. James Moebes, Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, served as WHBC’s interim pastor.
After much searching and prayer, the WHBC pulpit committee recommended Dr. G. Todd Wilson be called as the third pastor of Weatherly Heights Baptist Church. Dr. Wilson accepted the call in April of 1975.
Dr. Wilson led Weatherly to relate itself to the broader Christian community and wider religious world in the belief that we have much to share and to receive. This resulted in several interfaith dialogues with the Catholic community and Temple B’nai Shalom.
Another highlight of Dr. Wilson’s ministry was the utilization of the Christian calendar. Our Lenten-Easter observance includes Holy Week highlighted by the Tenebrae services and the Easter sunrise service. The Advent-Christmas season features the Advent wreath, Chrismon tree, and the Christmas Eve communion vespers, in addition to the Lovefeast, which began in 1965.
The Lovefeast is certainly the most beautiful of all Weatherly services. It comes from the Moravian custom where church members come together for a time of celebration of the Lord’s birth. Sweet rolls and coffee are given to each person attending, and the people are blessed with hearing the WHBC choir and instrumentalists present a musical program during the service. At the closing of the Lovefeast, the lights are turned off and everyone is given a candle to light. Soon the church is illuminated entirely by candlelight while everyone joins in singing “Silent Night, Holy Night.” It is truly a moving experience for all who attend.
In 1998 Dr. Wilson was called to the First Baptist Church of Clemson, South Carolina. His leaving again put Weatherly into the search for the next person that God would lead to become the fourth pastor of the church. In December of 1999 Weatherly called Dr. David Freeman to come as pastor. Dr. Freeman’s contributions have been many in these first few years of his ministry here. He has continued and strongly supported the tradition of interfaith dialogue. Dr. Freeman led the church to call its first Minister of Spiritual Formation, a new way for Baptists to think about Christian education. Also added was a Minister to Families with Children. This position was created because Dr. Freeman and others sensed the urgent need to minister to the young families of our community. Respite Care was also begun with the coming of Dr. Freeman. This ministry provides free care for children with disabilities and their siblings one night a month. Since Weatherly initiated this ministry, other churches in the community have recognized its importance so that every Friday night now, a family can receive a much needed “respite” from the care of their child(ren).
As evidenced by our history, Weatherly is intended to provide an alternative for Baptists. The “koinonia which cares” still has much room for growth in every dimension of its ministry. However, our wonderful heritage will inspire us to realize that “the best is yet to be.” In assessing our church, may we each one be reminded of the words of the apostle Paul: “I have not attained...but I press on towards the mark of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
